The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-03-12
TIGERS AND CATNIP.
\ SKiPPER'S YARN.


In the days when there was No restric
tio:. on the trade, Captain Gri nth of the
schooner Tropic Bird sailed from Why
dab, coast of Guinea, for Barbados. with
n cargo Of slaves, as he had done before;
but he had hardly crossed the Blight oil
Renin, when the schooner was struck by
awhile squall and thrown on her beam
ends III the white people on board
were on deck at the time, except one pas
scngcr, and with them there were "a Jew
trusted slaves, who were employed in va
nous ways. The rest of the slaves were
confined below. The schooner had but
ore small boat, which was taken posses
sion of by the Captain, Mate, and four
hands. who loaded her so dccplv that
they were obliged to push of, leaving
seven sonls, white and black, clinging t.
the vessels bottom.,, They had four oars,
"A few gallons of palm oil, but no sail.
and no bread and water. A tarnaulin.
found under n seat, was rugged for
sail, and in this unpromising condition
they headed for the shore they had re-
Gently left. The sea was still running
high, and frequently came on beard. The
sun beat down upon them with ter
rible force, and all but one man and
the mate died raving mad before there
was sight of land. 1T last the surviv-
Ors were cheered by the outline Of a low
shors, which they made a desperate eff
fort TO reach, and as night again closed
in they ran under the shadow of over
hanging trees, where all wa a marsh
the home of fevers and the abode of SER
pcnts On every hand it was low Jun
gle, in which no white man could hope
tolve; an impenetrable underground Of
ferns, young palms, climbing vines, rat
tans, the thick-leaved ficus, and tall gum
trec', woven together. To penetrate it
was hopeless task. and, after pushing
further on the next day, and crossing
many arms of what appeared to be the
mouth of a river, they found place to
land. Thee they killed a number of
snakes, which they devourcd. On this
spot there was another death, and the
mate was the only survivor lie was re-
duced to n shadow when some natives
found him and took him, with his boat,
to them prize, to their village, Wari,
where there was a mission station. Once
there, he could hardly trust his senses.
for he heard voice speaking English,
and saw before him comely English
woman, the wife-widow. for she had
beer berclt few days before-of a mis-
sionary, who had labored in that I'm
promising field The missionary had
been carried off by tiger, and his
widow, half crazed by her sudden and
terrible loss, was in no condition to do
much for a shipwrecked mariner; but
his haggard face, shrunkcn limbs, and
wo begonc looks aroused her sympa
thies, and she gave him food and gar
ments and the medic nc he needed.
The village was made up Of kraals and
wigwams covered with thatch OF leaves.
The mission, removed but one deg ee
from such abodcs, was a low cottage of
waffle, By contrast neat and attractive.
n had but little furniture -a few stools.
atablc, skins and coarse mats, and in the
phrt that might be called kitchen.
wooden spoons, gourds and the like hung
on the walls. But the charm of the place
was its flower garden-not native low
ers, but flowers that carried the mission
airy and his wife back To where they had
spent their early days. and wcrc grown
Nom seeds they had brought with them,
OF were sent out IN letters from time to
time 10y distant frienlS-blossoml
beans. tufts Of rocket andsweet William.